The invention relates to a display device, in particular for a vehicle, with a viewing screen having a liquid crystal cell, the liquid crystal cell having a front cell wall and a rear cell wall and a liquid crystal substance arranged in the cell space between these cell walls, and with a heating device by means of which the display device can be heated.
In liquid crystal cells, which are operated at least temporarily at low ambient temperatures, as is the case, for example, in displays in vehicles, the problem arises that at low temperatures the switching times of the liquid crystal cells become undesirably long, with the result that displays fitted therewith require a substantial inertia. It is known for the purpose of remedying this defect to provide a heating wire for a light box serving to illuminate a liquid crystal cell in a liquid crystal display. The liquid crystal cell is heated by means of the heating wire and held at a temperature level which renders it possible despite low ambient temperatures for the liquid crystal display to be operated with the required short switching times. Because of the relatively large spacing between the heating wire and liquid crystal cell, it is necessary for the heating wire to be supplied with a large amount of energy and to be strongly heated in order to be able to produce the required heating of the liquid crystal cell. Moreover, the heating wire undesirably heats the entire display unit because of its arrangement in the light box and of its necessarily high level of thermal radiation.